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a SheBtB- -Sheet 1.

- J. G. THRESH. DISINFEGTING APPARATUS;

No. 560,951. Patented May 26, 1896.

(No Model.)

Wz'l'nesses. [iii 612507? (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. J. 0. THRESH.

DISINPEOTING APPARATUS.

Padzentenl May 26, 1896.

ANDREW EGRAIIAM.PNU'I'O-UTIIO.WA5MINGI'ON.D.C.

(No Model) 3 Sheets-S11eet 3v J. O. THRESH. DISINFEGTING APPARATUS.

No. 560,951. A Patented May 26,- 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN CLOUGH THRESH, OF CHELMSFORD, ENGLAND.

DISINFECTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,951, dated May 26,1896.

Application filed June 2'7, 1895. Serial No. 554,179. (No'modeh)Patentedin England March 8,1895,N0.4,989; in Germany May 28, 1895,N0.86,202; in Cape Colony October 25,1895, No. 507; in Belgium November 14,1895, No. 118,355; in Austria December 14, 1895, No. 45/4,844; in ItalyDecember 31, 1895, LXXVI II, 456, and in Canada February 12,1896,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN OLOUGH THRnsH,

a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing atOhelmsford, in the county May 28, 1895 in Austria, No. 45 /4,844,datedDecember 14, 1895; in Cape Colony, No. 507, dated October 25, 1895; inItaly, No. 456, Vol. LXXVIII, dated December 31, 1895; in Belgium, No.118,355, dated November 14, 1895, and in Canada, No. 51,295, datedFebruary 12, 1896,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to thoroughly disinfect bedding,clothing, or other articles by means of low-pressure steam in anapparatus the disinfecting-chamber of which is open to-the atmosphereand receives its steam from a generating-chamber also open to theatmosphere, thus enabling the disinfection to be effectually carried outby means of apparatus which, having no or practically no fluid-pressureto resist, can be made light and cheap, compact, simple in construction,

capable of being easily worked by an ordinary laborer, and not liable toderangement. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is alongitudinalvertical section; Fig. 2, acrosssection on the line A B of Fig. 1; andFig. 3, a section plan on the line C D of Fig. 2, showing a disinfectorconstructed according to this invention. Figs. 4 and 5 are centralvertical sections taken in planes at right angles to each other,showing, to a larger scale, a valve hereinafter more particularlyreferred to.

WVithin a boiler 1, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, open to the atmosphere, is adisinfecting-chamber 2, likewise to the atmosphere and provided with ahinged or removable door 3, (or there may be more than one door,)controlling an opening or openings through which articles to bedisinfected can be introduced into the chamber. The boiler, which isheated by a suitable furnace 4, is charged up to a suitable level with asolution 5, having a higher boiling-point than water, such as a solutionof common salt or of chlorid of calcium.

The solution and steam in the boiler surround the disinfecting-chamberexcept at the side or end or sides or ends at which the door 3 or doorsis or are located, a practically constant level being maintained bymeans of an automatic feeding arrangement, such as an ordinary cock withball-float 6 in tank (5, whereby the boiler is in an automatic mannerfed with water as and when required to compensate for evaporation. Steamis conducted from the upper part of the boiler, without loss oftemperature, by means of a suitable pipe '7, or there may be more thanone such pipe, extending through the hot solution 5 to the lower part ofthe disinfectingchamber 2, which is or may be provided with a device,such as baffle 8, for deflecting and diffusing the entering steam, andwith a perforated or reticulated false bottom 8 for supporting thearticle or articles to be disinfected within the chamber. The baffie 8may conveniently be (as it is shown in the drawings) a non-perforatedportion of the false bottom 8 A Wicker or wire work basket with lightiron frame may be used for holding the clothes or other articles to bedisinfected, which are put in the basket and the basket slid by suitablemeans into the disinfecting-chamber. The steam, after acting upon thearticle or articles to be disinfected, leaves the disinfecting-chamberby a suitable outlet-pipe 9 open to the atmosphere. It may be throughthe furnace-flue 4, as shown.

It is important that the sides of my disinfector be maintained at atemperature slightly above that of steam under normal pressure by theuse of a solution 5 having a higher boiling-point than water, as by thismeans excessive condensation is avoided, and the steam, which in thefirst instance condenses on and in the article or articles beingdisinfected, on the basket-,door, &c. afterward reevaporated.

In the arrangement shown by way of eX- ample in the accompanyingdrawings there is provided within the lower part of the boiler 1,located immediately over the furnace 4, a coil 7 or equivalentarrangement in connection with the pipe 7, and through which the steamcoming from the upper part of the boiler is caused to pass through thehottest portion of the solution 5 immediately before entering thedisinfeeting-chamber 2.

The coil 7 may be connected to the disinfecting-chamber at any higherpoint instead of at the bottom of the chamber and the inletoriiiee ofoutlet-pipe 9 may be in a lower position than shown.

In order to admit to the disinfecting-chamber 2 dry warm air to dry thearticles after they have been acted upon by the steam, there is provideda branch pipe or passage 10, extending to the exterior of the boiler ator near its lower part, and Whose outer end is controlled by a valve 12of any suitable kind. 10 is a pipe leading from the upper part of theboiler to the atmosphere. It may be through the furnace-line 4, asshown. The adjacent ends of the pipes 7 and 10 are con.- trolled by avalve 1 3. (Shown separately in Figs. 4 and 5.) This valve 13 is soarranged that in one extreme position (shown in Fig. 5) thecommunication between the upper part of the boiler 1 and the interior ofthe disinfecting-chamber 2 will be open, so that steam can pass freelyfrom the upper part of the boiler, through the pipes 7 7, into thedisinfooting-chamber 2, and thence, through the pipe 9, into theatmosphere, (pipe 10 being then closed,) whereas in the other extremeposition of the valve (shown in Fig. i) the communication between theupper part of the boiler and the disinfectingehamber will be closed, butthe steam-space at the upper part of the boiler will be in freecommunication with the atmosphere through the branch pipe or passage 10.In this position of the valve 13, by openin g the valve 12, which may bein the form of a pivoted plate, as shown, or a plug, so as to open tothe atmosphere the branch pipe or passage 10, air can be admitted to thedisinfeeting-chamber 2, this air being heated on its way to the chamberby passin g through the pipe 10 and coil 7 or coils or equivalentarrangements already referred to.

As will be seen, the pipe 10 inclines forward toward its front end, andthe coil 7 inclines backward toward its connection with the pipe 10, sothat any water that may at any time be present in these pipes can bereadily drained elf by opening the valve 12.

14 is a damper with balance-weight 15 for controlling the communicationbetween the furnace +1 and flue a.

Thus it will be understood that after the ap paratus has been used asadisinfeetor all the steam can be removed from the disinfectingchamberand the hot air entering through the pipe 10 and coil 7 will cause theapparatus also to act as adrying-chamber, insuring that afterdisinfection the clothing, bedding, &c., shall be dry when removed fromthe apparatus.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. A disinfector comprising a boiler adapted tocontain a solution having ahigherboiling point than water, adisinfectingehamber arranged within said boiler so as to be mainlysurrounded by said solution, and a steamway connecting the steanrspaceof said boiler with the interior of said disinfectingchamber andarranged to pass through said solution whereby steam flowing throughsaid steamway will acquire heat from said solution in its passage to thesaid disinfectingehamber and will be delivered into the disinfectingchamber uncondensed, substantially as described for the purposespecified.

2. A disinfector comprising a boiler adapted to contain a solutionhaving a higher boilingpoint than water, a disinfecting-chamber arrangedwithin said boiler so as to be mainly surrounded by said solution, and asteamway connecting the steam-space of said boiler with the interior ofsaid disinfectingehamber and arranged to pass through the liquid-spaceat the lower part of the boiler located immediately over theboiler-furnace whereby, steam passing through said steamway will bemaintained at a sufficient temperature to prevent its condensation,substantially as herein described.

A disinfeotor comprising aboiler adapted to contain a solution having ahigher boilin g point than water, a disinfecting -ehamber arrangedwithin said boiler so as to be mainly surrounded by said solution, andhaving an outlet to the external atmosphere, a steam-pipe connecting thesteam-space of said boiler with the interior of said disinfecting-chamber and arranged to pass through said solution, an air heatingpipe also ar' ranged to pass through said solution and con nected tosaid steam-pipe, and valves which are adapted to control the passage ofsteam and air through said pipes and whereby steam and hot air can besuccessively admitted to said chamber substantially as herein de'scribed for the purpose specified.

4. A disinfector comprising a boiler open to the atmosphere and servingto contain a solution having a higher boiling-point than wator, adisinfecting-chainber arranged within said boiler so as to be mainlysurrounded by said solution and at all times open to the externalatmosphere, and an air-heating pipe or coil arranged Within theliquid-space between the bottoms of the said boiler and chamber andprovided with a Valve whereby said disinfecting-ehamber can be placed incom munieation with the external atmosphere and be supplied with heatedair, substantially as herein described for the purpose specified.

5. A disinfector comprising a boiler provided with a passage whereby itcan be placed in direct communication with the external atmosphere, adisinfecting-chamber located. within said boiler and always incommunication with the atmosphere, a pipe forming a passage between thesteam-space of the boiler and the interior of said disinfecting-chamberand arranged to pass through the liquid-space of said boiler, and asingle valve adapted to control said passages, said valve in oneposition closing the communication between the boiler and thedisinfecting-chamber and placing the boiler in direct communication withthe atmosphere, and in another position closing the direct communicationbetween the boiler and the atmosphere and opening that between theboiler and the disinfecting-chamber, whereby said boiler is at all timesopen to the external atmosphere substantially as herein described forthe purpose specified.

6. A disinfector comprising a boiler to contain a solution having ahigher boiling-point than water, a disinfecting-chamber located withinsaid boiler so as to be partially immersed in the solution therein andprovided with a door or doors, a baffle and perforated false bottom inthe lower part of said chamher, an automaticapparatus for supplyingwater as required to the boiler, a steam-pipe and coil (or coils)connecting the steam-space of said boiler with said chamber and arrangedto pass through the solution in the boiler, a second steam-pipe forconnecting the boiler with the external atmosphere direct, a valveadapted to control the adjacent ends of said steam-pipes, and anair-admission pipe with controlling-valve whereby air can be conductedthrough and heated by the solution on its way to thedisinfecting-chamber, as set forth.

7. A disinfector comprising the boiler 1 with pipe 10, thedisinfecting-chamber 2 located within said boiler and provided with apipe 9, the steam-pipe 7 and coil 7 extending from the steam-space ofsaid boiler through the liquid-space thereof to the disinfector, a valve13 arranged to simultaneously control the adjacent ends of said pipes 10and 7 and a hotair-supply pipe 10 provided with a valve and connectedwith said pipe and coil '7 7 substantially as herein described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN OLOUGH THRESH.

Witnesses:

EDMUND S. SNEWIN, WM. 0. BROWN.

